The peacekeeping mission which for many years has been the deadliest place to serve as a UN ‘blue helmet’, is due to draw down fully by 31 December, in accordance with its Security Council mandate.
At that point, MINUSMA’s 12 camps and one temporary operating base will be closed and handed over the transitional authorities there. Since it was established 10 years ago, over 300 peacekeepers have lost their lives amid continuing extremist violence and rampant insecurity across much of northern and central Mali.
Timely withdrawal
Close to 13,000 uniformed personnel will be repatriated, and civilian staff will leave while equipment is due to be relocated to other missions or repatriated to those countries which supplied items such as vehicles.
The UN said it was still determined to complete the withdrawal by the deadline following Mali’s request to leave without delay.
MINUSMA said it had been working hard to meet the deadline, but since 24 September its logistics convoys have not been allowed to move from Gao to retrieve equipment from Aguelhok, Tessalit, and Kidal.
This could “adversely impact the Mission’s ability to adhere to the stipulated timeline”.
Withdrawal without retrieval
A spike in tensions in Northern Mali, the note says, increases the likelihood of the Mission being forced to depart without being able to retrieve equipment belonging to Troop-Contributing Countries or to the UN, resulting in significant financial losses and potentially preventing the UN from distributing it to other peace operations.
The situation also jeopardizes the air operations conducted by the Mission to protect its drawdown and ensure the safety of all personnel.
As all parties in the process have the obligation to refrain from any action or statement that could jeopardize a safe and timely exit, the UN also stressed that Security Council resolution 2690 calls upon Malian authorities to cooperate fully with UN peacekeeping during the drawdown, withdrawal, and liquidation.
The development follows an announcement by UN Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, just before midnight Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, that UN representatives in Gaza had been “informed by their liaison officers in the Israeli military” that everyone living north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within 24 hours.
‘Death sentence’ for many
Some 1.1 million people would be expected to leave northern Gaza, Mr. Dujarric said, adding that the same order applied to all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities, including schools, health centres and clinics.
The UN considers it “impossible” for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences and appeals for the order to be rescinded, Mr. Dujarric said.
Echoing that message, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) joined the call for Israel to rescind the relocation order, which amounted to a “death sentence” for many, said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic.
He told journalists in Geneva, in line with the assessment of health authorities there, that it would be “impossible to evacuate vulnerable hospital patients from the north of Gaza”.
The UN also reiterated its calls for the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza following Hamas’s deadly Saturday attack on Israel, and for the protection of civilians and urgent aid access to the sealed-off enclave, as UN chief António Guterres and his envoys continued their diplomatic efforts.
‘Pushing people into the abyss’
UN humanitarians joined their voices to these calls on Friday, urging the parties to save civilian lives.
UN relief chief Martin Griffiths, tweeted that “the noose around the civilian population in Gaza is tightening“, asking how such a huge number of people could possible move across a “densely populated warzone” in just 24 hours.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), warned that the relocation order “will only lead to unprecedented levels of misery and further push people in Gaza into abyss”. He said that over 423,000 people across the enclave have already been displaced, of whom more than 270,000 have taken refuge in UNRWA shelters.
UNRWA tweeted later on Friday that Gaza was “fast becoming a hell hole and is on the brink of collapse. There is no exception, all parties must uphold the laws of war.”
Briefing reporters in Geneva, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder regretted that the humanitarian situation has now reached “lethal lows”.
He highlighted that the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places on the planet and people, including hundreds of thousands of children, who are finding themselves “with nowhere safe to go”.
OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke also underscored the impossibility of a relocation, asking, “in the middle of a war zone where people are already at the end of the rope, how is that going to happen?”
Children from families sheltering at an UNRWA school in Gaza eat bread distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP).
Aid ‘locked out’
He also insisted on the urgency of humanitarian access to Gaza as all supplies were rapidly depleting.
“We’re pretty much locked out,” he said.
On Thursday, the UN launched a flash appeal for $294 million for 77 humanitarian partners to address the most urgent needs of 1.26 million people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“This is a response to an escalation that has put civilians in a situation in which they should never be,” Mr. Laerke said about the appeal. “The most urgent priority is now to de-escalate,” he added.
Health system at ‘breaking point’
WHO’s Mr. Jašarević insisted that the health system in Gaza is at a “breaking point”. The two major hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip, the Indonesian Hospital and Shifa Hospital, have already exceeded their combined 760-bed capacity and the hospitals in the south of Gaza were also “overflowing”.
Six of the seven main hospitals in Gaza are only partially functioning, he added.
‘Death sentence’ for the vulnerable
He stressed that moving vulnerable patients such as those critically injured and adults, children and newborns depending on life support in intensive care, would be a “death sentence”.
“Asking health workers to do so is beyond cruel,” he said.
Mr. Jašarević painted a very grim picture of the reality in Gaza’s health facilities, saying that health workers on the ground described dead bodies “piling up” as there is no more space in the morgues, and ambulances and doctors have to make a “horrific choice” as to who to save and who to leave behind.
Attacks on healthcare
He added that as of Thursday 34 attacks on health care in the Gaza Strip had been confirmed since the beginning of the current offensive resulting in the deaths of 11 health care workers on duty. The Gaza Emergency Operation Centre, supported by WHO, has sustained heavy damages, he said.
He also cited reports of an attack by Hamas on Ashkelon hospital in Israel over the past weekend, in which one paramedic was killed.
Release hostages, protect civilians
UN human rights office (OHCHR) spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani insisted yet again that civilians “must never be used as bargaining chips”. She called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of hostages and their humane treatment.
OHCHR urged Palestinian armed groups to “halt the use of inherently indiscriminate projectiles, which violate international humanitarian law, as well as attacks directed against civilians”. The UN office also urged Israel to ensure full respect for international humanitarian and human rights law “in any and all military operations”.
OHCHR said that rhetoric from Israeli high-level officials “raises concerns that a message is being sent to the members of the Israeli Defense Forces that international humanitarian law has become optional rather than compulsory”.
UNICEF’s James Elder also insisted that in this dire situation, “compassion – and international law – must prevail”.
Rise in hate speech
Addressing the ever-stronger echoes of the conflict across the world, Ms. Shamdasani said that UN rights chief Volker Türk deplored the fact that in many countries, there has been a “proliferation of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate speech”.
Appealing to leaders to stem such hate speech and incitements to violence, the OHCHR spokesperson that faced with this desperate situation, the world should unite.
“This is a time for the international community to come together in solidarity, advocating for the protection of all civilians, no matter where, no matter what,” she insisted.
The UN Security Council is due to meet in New York on Friday afternoon behind closed doors, to address the situation in Gaza.
The independent rights investigators’ final report comes as their mandate ended on Friday, coinciding with the end of the UN Human Rights Council’s 54th session, leaving victims in limbo.
Established by the Council in December 2021, their brief from the Council was to conduct through and impartial investigations into alleged human rights violations in Ethiopia, perpetrated by all parties to the conflict since 3 November 2020.
Steven Rather, an expert on the Commission, described the termination of the mandate as a “great blow” to victims seeking justice.
“It is essential that this work [the investigation] continues, and this legacy report offers a detailed resource to support the fight against impunity in Ethiopia,” he said.
Horrific findings
The Commission’s final report presents a detailed account of the atrocities – which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity – committed in Tigray, Amhara, Afar and Oromia, pointing a finger at all parties involved.
Due to time and resource limitations, the Commission was not able to determine the possible crime against humanity of extermination or genocide.
Experts called for investigations to continue to establish the full facts and legal implications.
The Ethiopian National Defence Forces, Eritrean Defence Forces, and allied regional Special Forces and militias are collectively responsible for a litany of horrors, the report said.
This includes mass killings, widespread and systematic rape, sexual violence – including sexual slavery, deliberate starvation, forced displacement, and large-scale arbitrary detentions, all of which constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Some Tigray forces are also culpable for war crimes, including killings, widespread rape and sexual violence, destruction of property, and looting.
Lack of accountability
Prospects of meaningful domestic accountability are extremely remote – Commission member Radhika Coomaraswamy
The Commission noted that continued violations committed by the Eritrean Defence Forces in Tigray before and after the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in November 2022 – and the spread of violence across much of the country, highlight the scale of impunity.
“The prospects of meaningful domestic accountability are extremely remote,” said Radhika Coomaraswamy, an expert serving on the Commission.
“The demands of victims and survivors for justice and accountability are clear and unwavering, and their voices must be heard,” she stressed.
International call
The shutting down of the Commission cannot signal the end of the road, especially when the risks of future atrocity crimes remain glaringly visible, chairperson Mohamed Chande Othman said.
He called on the international community, including regional actors, to not forget the victims of the brutal conflict.
“States must continue to place the situation of human rights in Ethiopia high on the international agenda, and actively investigate and prosecute crimes committed in Ethiopia before their respective domestic courts, under the principle of universal jurisdiction,” he said.
Some 22 countries and one non-governmental organization (NGO) took the floor, turning the meeting into a mini urgent debate on the crisis sparked by Hamas attacks against Israel and the capture of more than 100 Israelis who are being held hostage by militants inside the Gaza Strip.
The surprise incursion prompted intense aerial bombardment by Israel, a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, and an order to evacuate the northern part of the enclave within 24 hours, which began on Thursday evening, local time.
Opposing opinions
At the Council, Western States focused on condemning Hamas and support for Israel’s right to self-defence.
States that are part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab Group focused on Israel’s attacks against Gaza while expressing support for the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination.
The UN’s preeminent human rights body is made up of 47 Member States who serve for a period of three years. Membership is based on equitable geographical distribution by region.
Support for both sides
Among members that spoke were Pakistan (on behalf of the OIC), Algeria and Sudan.
Their interventions focused on Israel’s conduct in Gaza, including loss of civilian life and infrastructure, the need for humanitarian corridors in Gaza, and support for Palestinian self-determination.
France, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, raised the joint communiqué issued on Monday by their leaders and Italy. That document expressed “steadfast and united support to the State of Israel” and “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism.”
Belgium and Czechia also made aligned comments in support of Israel and called for the release of hostages. South Africa, China, and India appealed for de-escalation by all parties, humanitarian assistance and efforts towards the peace process.
Non-members Palestine and Israel also participated in the meeting.
Palestine: End the massacre
Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim M. Khraishi appealed for an end to what he termed the ongoing “massacre” in the Gaza strip, listing the casualties that include “more than 1,750 martyrs, more than 500 children and 7,000 injured”. He also cited the ongoing destruction in Gaza, the racist and criminal declarations, the cutting of food, electricity, water and fuel, and where Israel representatives had described the Palestinian people as “human animals”.
Mr. Khraishi noted that some States had said that they share the values and principles of Israel. “This is not something acceptable for you to associate yourselves with those criminals,” he said. He also pointed to the destruction of infrastructure, hospitals and ambulances, saying this would never kill the will and determination of the Palestinian people to achieve their freedom and an end to occupation.
Israel: Stand with us
Israeli Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar said more than 1,300 citizens and foreigners had been brutally massacred by Hamas, and that roughly 2,500 terrorists entered the country “to murder, torture, rape, kidnap and behead my people”. Hamas shows no respect for human life and human rights, she added. The group “shot innocent people, blew up whole families in their homes, and they stabbed young children in their beds.”
In response to the Arab Group statement, the Israeli representative said that ISIS and Hamas were the same sides of the same coin and asked what these States did in response to ISIS.
Ms. Shahar noted that for years delegations have supported Hamas and its calls for the destruction of the Jewish people. She said others should condemn Hamas and demand the release of hostages. The Ambassador asked other countries to stand with Israel in its war against terror.
NGO condemns international crimes
The NGO International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) condemned all crimes under international law committed by both Israel and Palestinian armed groups, saying targeted and indiscriminate attacks against civilians can never be justified.
ISHR called for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to accelerate its investigation into serious crimes committed by all parties in Palestine and Israel.
Meanwhile, according to ISHR, the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, established by the Council, should also address the situation within the context of its root causes, which include settler colonialism, apartheid and denial of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and return.
Persons with disabilities face a “shocking lack of support” with no progress in the last decade, despite a huge increase in climate disasters worldwide, the new UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) report states, and that lack of progress could be a violation of international law.
Persons with disabilities make up 16 per cent of the world’s population and suffer an overall death rate due to disasters that is two to four times higher than the general population.
Comprehensive survey
The survey captured over 6,000 responses from 132 countries to evaluate progress on government policies that should be offering protection.
An initial survey focused on disability was conducted in 2013 and comes ahead of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction marked on Friday, on the theme of fighting inequality.
The new survey found limited progress on disability inclusion over the past ten years, with no significant advances in any region.
Specifically, 84 per cent of respondents in 2023 reported not having a personal preparedness plan in case of a disaster, such as knowing evacuation routes, available shelters and stocking up on emergency supplies.
In 2013, this figure was 71 per cent.
Notably, the 2023 findings show that if sufficient early warning is provided, 39 per cent of respondents reported they would have no difficulty evacuating, compared to 26 per cent, if there was no warning.
Afghanistan: More than 5,000 quake victims reached, WHO reports
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has reached 5,625 of the survivors most impacted by the earthquakes that struck the Herat region of Afghanistan over the weekend and again on Wednesday.
In an update, the health agency reported that just over 4,000 have received primary healthcare including mental health support, and over 1,000 were helped with trauma and rehab services.
Latest reports estimate that just over 11,000 people – some 1,835 families – have been impacted overall.
As of Wednesday night, WHO reported damage to 21 health facilities across 10 different districts, more than half of the destruction occurred as a result of the fresh earthquake and aftershocks that day.
A 650-bed regional hospital in Herat, received many of the injured, with 141 patients transferred there, including two in a critical condition, said WHO.
As of 10 October, the death toll stood at 1,294, with nearly 1,700 injured.
Global funding for aid off-track: OCHA
Humanitarians face a funding shortfall of $37 billion to respond to emergencies which affect millions of people in need around the world.
That’s the message from UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA), which said on Thursday that out of the more than $55 billion required to assist 248 million people this year, donors have provided just under a third of that as of the end of September – that’s even less than this time last year.
OCHA said the monthly decrease of global humanitarian funding is “of great concern”.
The humanitarian response plans for the Central African Republic and Somalia have seen the sharpest funding shortfalls compared to last year, by as much as 33 per cent less in the case of Somalia.
Funding for eight other humanitarian emergencies in Afghanistan, Chad, Colombia, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mozambique, Syria and Venezuela has dropped by more than 10 per cent.
Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the AU, told ambassadors in New York that the alignment between the two organizations is particularly relevant for current challenges.
“The African conflict landscape is evolving, becoming more complex and often intractable,” he said.
He referred to the report on cooperation between the UN and AU on peace efforts, noting the rise in political violence, terrorism and extremism in Africa is exposing serious weaknesses in governance.
The spate of military coups, notably in the Sahel, have worsened instability, human rights abuses and humanitarian crises, while Sudan faces a catastrophic conflict. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is also grappling with security and humanitarian concerns during election preparations.
Empowering AU
Mr. Onanga-Anyanga, who also heads the UN Office to the AU, further noted that empowering AU-led peace support operations would in turn strengthen the authority of the Security Council and its responsibilities as outlined in the UN Charter.
He highlighted the important of international partnering with the AU to enhance capacities to address the complex and dynamic threats to peace and security on the continent.
“Working through the established mechanisms of the African Governance Architecture and the African Peace and Security Architecture, the full range of responses to conflict can be effectively supported and strengthened to deliver peace,” he added.
Joint visits
Collaborative efforts between the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council – particularly through joint field visits and coordination meetings – are also seen as key to addressing the complex dynamics in conflict situations, advancing prevention and mitigation measures and enhancing strategic coordination.
“Such visits could help advance a common understanding of the complex dynamics at work in conflict situations, explore prevention and, where appropriate, mitigation measures and provide opportunities to deliver common messages,” Mr. Onanga-Anyanga said.
OCHA cited Israeli media, which reported that as of Monday evening, more than 1,000 Israelis, including foreign nationals, were killed and at least 2,806 people were injured, according to the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said at least 830 Palestinians have been killed and 4,250 injured.
Over a tenth of the population in Gaza, more than 260,000 people, have been displaced since the start of the current conflict on 7 October and the numbers are rising fast.
More than 175,000 people are sheltering in schools operated by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, which has some 13,000 staff in the enclave.
Nine UNRWA staff killed
UNRWA on Wednesday reported that the death toll among its employees had risen to nine. The agency has repeatedly stressed the importance of protecting civilians, including in conflict.
UNRWA is a lifeline for most of the roughly two million Palestine refugees in Gaza, providing essential services such as education and healthcare. The conflict has forced the closure of its 14 food distribution centres as well as a reduction in operations.
Speaking on Tuesday, UNRWA Director of Communications told UN News that many staff are still working.
“We have people who are responding to the needs of the people in the shelters. They’re giving them mattresses, a place to sleep, clean water, some food, in cooperation with the UN World Food Programme (WFP),” she said.
A ‘devastating’ situation
WFP and other UN agencies have been calling for humanitarian corridors and safe and unobstructed passage for their staff.
In the immediate aftermath of the conflict, WFP began distributing fresh bread, canned food and ready-to-eat food to roughly 100,000 people in UNRWA shelters. The goal is to reach over 800,000 people which will require $17.3 million for immediate response and nearly $45 million over the next six months.
“The situation is devastating,” Samer Abdeljaber, Palestine Country Director, said on Wednesday.
“We are on the ground doing everything we can to be sure the people in need – the ones who fled their homes, the ones living in shelters – are getting the food and help they need to survive.”
WFP will be rolling out assistance through electronic vouchers so people can buy food from shops that are still open.
“We are doing everything we can but very soon the food supplies and basic needs in Gaza are going to run out,” he said.
“We need the humanitarian corridor to be able to support the people who are affected and their numbers are rising every day. We need safe and unimpeded access.”
Political engagement continues
Meanwhile, senior UN officials, including the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, continue engagement with parties to the conflict and key stakeholders.
Mr. Wennesland held “productive meetings” on Wednesday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and other senior officials, according to a post on his official account on X, formerly Twitter.
He said the priority is to avoid further loss of civilian lives and provide access for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
As the conflict intensified amid escalating violence, a complete blockade of food, water, and vital services was put in place by Israel as reports emerged of Israeli ground operations in Gaza, which is home to more than two million people.
While UN offices in Gaza sustained “significant damage” from nearby airstrikes on Monday night, agencies were striving to help the affected population there and elsewhere, including the West Bank, home to 871,000 registered refugees.
The UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNWRA, currently has 13,000 national and international staff, most of them refugees themselves, in Gaza and nearly 4,000 in the West Bank.
In addition, hundreds of employees continued working for other UN agencies.
Along the restive Israel-Lebanon border, the UN peacekeeping mission there, UNIFIL, is operating with 9,400 ground troops, 900 civilian staff, and 850 naval personnel on its Maritime Task Force.
Here is a snapshot of how the UN is helping on the ground:
A building housing the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City sustains significant damage following nearby airstrikes.
1. Protection
Heavy airstrikes since Saturday had displaced nearly 190,000 people in Gaza, so the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, is sheltering 137,500 men, women, and children in 83 of its 288 schools, according to the agency’s latest situation report. As of Tuesday, 18 UNRWA facilities sustained collateral and direct damage from airstrikes, with injuries and deaths reported.
Families gather at UNRWA’s New Gaza Boys’ School, seeking shelter from heavy airstrikes.
2. De-escalation
Top UN officials, including the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), were engaging with parties to the conflict and key stakeholders, including the United States, Qatar, and the European Union, to de-escalate the conflict.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, continued to monitor the unfolding “volatile” security situation along the Israel-Lebanon border, issuing guidance for civilians and updates via social media.
“We have fully engaged our liaison and coordination mechanisms at all levels, to help avoid misunderstandings between Lebanon and Israel that could lead to an escalation of the conflict,” UNIFIL said. “This is our main focus at the moment, and we are working 24/7 to accomplish it.”
3. Emergency services
Israel’s announced blockade of food, water, fuel, and electricity in Gaza on Monday came as UN agencies warned of food scarcity and a looming crisis. Mobile toilets and showers are being deployed to UNRWA shelters, as needed. Palestinians in Gaza now only have electricity for three to four hours per day, hindering the ability of health facilities to function and treat those injured, according to the UN humanitarian coordination agency, OCHA.
4. Food
The World Food Programme (WFP) and UNRWA were coordinating the distribution of bread to displaced people in the shelters in Gaza. “Nearly half a million people, or 112,000 families, have not been able to get their food rations this week since UNRWA food distribution centres are closed,” UNRWA said.
As of Tuesday, WFPstarted distributing fresh bread, canned food, and ready-to-eat foods to around 100,000 people at UNRWA shelters, with plans to reach more than 800,000 affected people in Gaza and the West Bank.
5. Health
Emergency healthcare services were being offered through the toll-free hotline continued across Gaza. The UN’s country-based pooled funds (CBPF) and its partners released life-saving trauma and emergency drugs and medical supplies to enable the health system in Gaza to respond to rising needs. A total of 125 health staff are working in rotating shifts at UNRWA health centres, with 15 out of 22 clinics providing primary healthcare services from 9 am to 12 pm to patients with urgent referred appointments received through a free-toll hotline.
Relief and social services helplines were operational as of Tuesday, and psychosocial support and psychological first aid were being provided remotely. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had psychosocial support experts ready to provide assistance to those who needed it in Gaza and in the West Bank. “The community is appealing to UNRWA to open the closed health centres due to the high demand for services,” the agency said.
An UNRWA school sheltering more than 225 displaced people, including many families, in the Gaza Strip was directly hit, sustaining severe damages, but no casualties were reported.
6. Humanitarian corridors
Access for humanitarian staff and supplies into Gaza was cut this week and the intensity of the hostilities was limiting the ability of staff to deliver aid, according to Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Lynn Hastings, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO), other UN agencies, and partners continued to work towards establish a corridor to reach people with critical supplies in Gaza.
Presenting the Mission’s latest report, UN Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert updated ambassadors on key developments since her last briefing in May.
She highlighted initiatives carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, including the recently adopted federal budget, the launch of long-awaited reforms in the banking and finance sectors, and a new law on social security.
No easy feat
“To cut a long story short: with last year’s gains in political stability and an ambitious federal budget in hand, Iraq is well positioned to seize the many opportunities in front of it,” she said, speaking via videoconference.
However, she cautioned that “this is not an easy feat, let alone a given.”
Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert said corruption is still pervasive. Although highlighting admirable commitments made by the Government, “at the same time, it is clear that the intricate web of graft and vested interests, built up in Iraq over decades, will not be dismantled overnight.”
Furthermore, Iraq’s economic structure is heavily reliant on oil, while the public sector is “so big that it is simply unsustainable.”
Rapidly growing population
“All of this must be understood alongside Iraq’s rapidly growing population – with predictions that it could double over the next three to four decades,” she said.
She warned that without structural reforms to guarantee job opportunities or advances in quality of life, “the embers of discontent could flare up easily, again and again.”
The UN official pointed to other “threat multipliers” including climate change and water scarcity. She recalled that temperatures in Iraq again exceeded 50 degrees Celsius this past summer. Additionally, nearly 14,000 families were displaced by drought conditions across 10 governorates last June, according to the UN migration agency, IOM.
“Needless to say, if left unaddressed, this is only the beginning of a rather nightmarish situation. Hence, it is for good reasons that the Government has made the issue of water security one of its top priorities,” she said.
Kurdistan election delays
Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert also underscored the need to address exclusion, marginalization and stigmatization, saying that further progress on enabling people to return to their areas of origin, including Jurf al-Sakhr and Sinjar, remains critical.
“A further topic that cannot be overlooked is the influence of non-state armed actors in certain areas, which not only undermines confidence in the state but also creates an environment of fear and anger,” she said.
Ms. also addressed the situation in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, where parliamentary elections have been repeatedly postponed. The vote was originally scheduled for October 2022, then moved to November of this year, and now further delayed to next February.
“To state the obvious, we expect all parties to ensure that this new election date will not again fall victim to internal political strife. With the current administration in a caretaker capacity, the Region’s democratic process must prevail. There is so much at stake,” she said.
On Thursday, 5 October, an attack in the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region resulted in the deaths of at least 52 people, including one child. This incident marked one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since Russia’s invasion in February last year.
Less than 24 hours later, the region faced another strike, as missiles hit buildings in Kharkiv’s city centre, reportedly killing two, including one child.
Civilian casualties
“The recent attacks in Kharkiv add to an already unbearable toll of civilian casualties resulting from Russia’s invasion – a war launched in violation of the UN Charter and international law,” Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for political affairs, told ambassadors at the Security Council.
As of Sunday (8 October), the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has verified 9,806 civilian deaths, including 560 children, and 17,962 injuries due to the war.
“The actual figures are very likely considerably higher and, tragically, will continue to rise if current patterns continue,” Ms. DiCarlo added.
Indiscriminate attacks
In recent weeks, civilians and civilian infrastructure, including grain storage facilities, across Ukraine have been under nearly constant attacks.
“Residents of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Lviv, Sumy, Donetsk, Odesa, Kyiv and other regions continued to face unrelenting and often indiscriminate attacks.”
These, combined with Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Initiative, not only endanger the livelihoods of Ukrainian farmers, but also risk exacerbating hunger worldwide, she said.
These violations include conflict-related sexual violence reportedly committed by Russian armed forces and penitentiary service members, as well as arbitrary and incommunicado detention of civilians in Russian-occupied territory.
The Office also documented cases of arbitrary detention by Ukrainian forces, primarily of law enforcement authorities.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Rosemary DiCarlo (on screen) briefs the Security Council meeting on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.
Russia’s obligation
OHCHR expressed concern over recent legislation in Russia that could effectively grant amnesty to its service members for a wide range of crimes, potentially including serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, Ms. DiCarlo noted.
She reiterated Russia’s obligation under international law to investigate and prosecute potential war crimes and gross human rights violations committed by its forces in Ukraine.
Attacks against aid workers
Joyce Msuya, Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, also briefed the 15-member Security Council, highlighting aid efforts to support people amidst “atrocious attacks”.
However, it is not only civilians who are paying the price, she said, noting a dramatic rise in attacks against humanitarians, with 11 aid workers reportedly killed in 2023, up from four the previous year.
“I have deep appreciation of their bravery, endurance and commitment to the response in extremely challenging circumstances. However, there is much more to do,” she said.
The senior UN relief official urged the international community to help advocate access to all those in need across Ukraine, including four million people living in areas under the military control of Russia.
“More than anything, the people of Ukraine need concerted action to make this devastating war – with its unceasing death, destruction and suffering – come to an end,” she said.
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The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
